Men's Basketball

THE MODERATOR: Up next is Patrick Chambers. He enters his second season with the Nittany Lions. The team includes nine returners, including, Tim Frazier. Coach if you would like to begin with an opening statement.
PATRICK CHAMBERS: I'm excited for the second season. The first season is always a great challenge when you come into a new situation, but I'm proud of the way those guys competed last year and I look forward to the season ahead with Tim [Frazier] being a senior and more experienced and getting some of the younger guys, some good experience and knowledge going through the Big Ten for the first time, so I'm looking forward to a great season.

Q. Tim Frazier did a lot for your team last year, what more can he do this season or what would you like to see him do better this season?
PATRICK CHAMBERS: The most important thing for Tim is to be a great leader. I think we all know he needs to work on his jump shot and he's done that. In practice so far he's shooting his three's at a high clip, which is great for us, almost makes him un-guardable, but it's off the floor, in that locker room, being the hardest worker on the team.

It's not getting caught up in the headlines or the blogs or Tweets or whatever you want to say. He has to remain humble and hungry and grounded, and trying to win as many games as we can. That's got to be his focus, can't be anything else.

Q. Coach, what did you learn in your first year in the Big Ten and what do you plan to take into the second year?
PATRICK CHAMBERS: This league is awesome, incredible league with great coaches that adjustments on every timeout, at halftime. The great players, great talent.
One thing that really stuck out was the home court advantage that most of the teams get in the Big Ten. Everywhere we went was sold out and it didn't matter if we were 2 12 or 4 14, which is where we ended up.

They were coming out and the enthusiasm for their teams is pretty amazing. To win on the road in the Big Ten is huge. We didn't do it last year. We're going to have to do it this year, it's that difficult. Coming from the Big East, you could find empty games and find a way, but here, it's difficult.

Q. What advice would you give to Tim Miles as he goes into the BigTen for his first season?
PATRICK CHAMBERS: Tim is a great guy, great coach, excellent tweeter, he loves to tweet. I would tell him he's going to have to be patient because nobody turns the ball over in this league, that's one thing I probably should have said as well, so you have to defend, you have to rebound and you've got to recruit winners, and I know Tim is going to do that, I've seen the guys he's got coming in.

But as far as his team, his players, he needs to be patient, go through it one time he's a great coach, but know it's difficult on the road here.

Q. Obviously the controversy that developed on campus within the last year was disconnected from your program, but how much impact has it had on your efforts to try to rebuild the Nittany Lions in basketball?
PATRICK CHAMBERS: Obviously it's been a great challenge for us as a community because your hearts go out to the families and what's going on, you know, it's on TV all the time, in the newspapers all the time and dwindled a little bit because of Bill O'Brien and his football team doing amazing things on the field, which is great.

But it's there, and there is no denying it. I try to stay out in front of it, especially when it comes to recruiting, I talk to the parents about it and the kids about it and I don't want it to be the elephant in the room. I would rather get it out in front of it and let's discuss it and if there are issues, then this might not be the right place for you, and we're okay with it. Then you are going to get amazing kids that are serious about getting degrees, that are winners and that want to help build this program.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.